Sparkling Conversation: The Streets of Rome

Since Rome was the first city we visited in Europe, we did A LOT of walking before we wised up to taxis and public transportation. These were some miscellaneous pictures of the city that I liked.

There were so many street cafes which was an interesting change. A lot of restaurants would just take two or three parallel parking spots and just build a deck with a canopy, add some tables and potted plants and you had instant outdoor seating with the cars whizzing by.

This guy was waiting for someone while I was sitting on the steps outside the Pantheon and this was actually his "resting" pose. I couldn't believe it because it just screams "photo shoot" to me. Of course, I took the picture.

John with the Fountain of Trevi in the background. At night, they turn these huge floodlights on the fountain and it is just as crowded as it is in daylight.

I was fascinated with this couple and took a bazillion pictures of them while sitting by the fountain. Mainly, because I like the colors of the water with the lights. This was day three of our trip and my feet were killing me. Sitting at Trevi and people watching was so fun and got us geared up for the next steps.

The Tiber River! Can you get more Roman?? Fact: Rome doesn't have a subway system because every time they started to dig they hit the ruins of another ancient civilization

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This was a fabulous store that I loved everything I saw. Completely my style and then I looked up and saw the sign! Unfortunately, it was closed so I never got to meet my clothing destiny...

We spent two hours doing a walking tour of the monuments and this is a shot during a 30 min conversation using our combined history knowledge (and movie trivia) to piece together the order of the Caesars' rule, who belonged to which dynasties, the lands they conquered and who slept with who. We did such a good job, it deserved a picture.

If I lived in Europe and couldn't afford a BMW SUV or Land Rover, I'd want a Smart Car. I'm obviously not one of their normal "green" customers.) You can actually park horizontally across a parallel parking spot and still fit in between the lines. My parking woes would be OVER! (I can't parallel park to save my life...honestly.) You can buy them in the US in 2008 but how would you like to be in one of these things on the same road with a bunch of semi-trucks and SUVs?

One of the MANY churches of Rome. We walked by it FIVE times on our first morning there when we got a little lost and confused. That is when we discovered that not all roads are on all maps in Italy.

The crowds at the Fountain of Trevi. It stayed like this all day long. It is one of the most famous tourists sights because if you throw a coin in the fountain the legend says you will return to Rome.